BOULDER — There isn’t a defensive coach who doesn’t extol the value of his line getting pressure on the quarterback. So much more can be done in coverage if the front four is taking care of business in an opponent’s backfield.
Colorado wanted some of that. The defensive line had its moments in recent years but, by and large, was inconsistent. A line that could pressure the quarterback was near the top of CU coaches’ wish lists this season. An encouraging start against Colorado State last week has given the coaches hope that that wish will come true. Week 1: Four sacks, three quarterback hurries.
“Those guys played well,” CU defensive line coach Romeo Bandison said. “We, across the board, were pretty consistent, made some plays.”
Brandon Nicolas and Marquez Herrod each had 1 1/2 sacks, and Jason Brace and Taj Kaynor recorded a half-sack apiece. Kaynor also added a quarterback hurry, while George Hypolite, who gave the unit “a B+” for their effort, had two.
It was a solid start for a unit that had only 12 sacks from linemen last season. These Buffs already have four.
“Pass rush, pass rush, pass rush,” Brace said. “Get to the ball. Hit that quarterback as many times as you can.”
Said Hypolite: “The No. 1 thing is probably stop the run. But second to that, and probably 1A, is to put pressure on the quarterback because, hey, in this league, the guys we play against can pick you apart. So, you can’t let them sit back there for three or four seconds and have our DBs cover guys five, six seconds. There’s not too many DBs in the country who can, so you’ve got to put pressure on them.”
In fact, if passes are completed against Colorado’s secondary, the first finger of blame is pointed at the defensive line.
“We set a time limit on ourselves and say, ‘Hey, you’ve got this much time to get to the quarterback,’ ” Bandison said. “If it takes any longer, and they complete a ball, that’s on the front. We have set standards, and we have to achieve those every rep.”
Eastern Washington, CU’s opponent Saturday, figures to test Colorado’s ability to rush the quarterback. The Eagles passed the ball 63 times in a 49-24 loss at Texas Tech last Saturday, against just 22 rushes.
Conventional wisdom said EWU’s early 21-point deficit contributed to a near complete abandonment of the run, but nevertheless, Colorado is prepping for an aerial assault.
“They completed some balls and scored some points,” Bandison said. “We’re not taking these guys lightly. They moved the ball well on Texas Tech. It was pretty impressive to me; I don’t care what league they’re in. They made some things happen. We’ve got to be solid and play well.”
Three returning starters have helped. Hypolite, Maurice Lucas and Nicolas are seniors. Brace, a junior, was moved from the interior line to a defensive end slot, dropped 20 pounds and said he feels as comfortable as he has at any point in his career at Colorado.
“It’s gone really well,” Brace said. “I don’t have to gain weight or all that, so I like it. I feel like I’ve gotten a lot faster since last year. I think I’m more naturally a defensive end.”
Brace did not record a tackle last season but had two against Colorado State. He is the newest part of a line that boasts better depth with Herrod and Kaynor and the up-and-coming Curtis Cunningham, a freshman from Columbine High School.
“You got three guys that played a lot, so we kind of know what we can expect from us,” Hypolite said. “Everybody that we rolled in had a good game, did some good things. So I think that’s very encouraging.”
Chris Dempsey: 303-954-1279 or cdempsey@denverpost.com
The Lowdown
By Tom Kensler, The Denver Post
COLORADO (1-0)
Player to watch: WR Josh Smith.
His 93-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against CSU was his first score in college, and the sophomore speedster is eager to finally score on a reception. After catching just one pass for 15 yards in the opener, Smith could be Cody Hawkins’ go-to target against Eastern Washington.
Key for the Buffs: Shake the Eagles.
CU can’t allow the EWU to “hang around,” as happened last week at Texas Tech when EWU pulled to within 11 points of the Red Raiders in the third quarter. CU juniors and seniors who witnessed the Buffs’ 19-10 loss to Montana State in the 2006 opener know the horrors that can occur when coming out flat against an underdog with something to prove.
EASTERN WASHINGTON (0-1)
Player to watch: QB Matt Nichols.
The junior (6-feet-2, 220 pounds) has NFL aspirations after earning 2007 Big Sky Conference offensive MVP honors with 3,744 yards passing and 34 touchdowns, with just nine interceptions.
Key for the Eagles: Nonstop offense.
Eastern Washington relies on its offense and has enough firepower to make it a shootout. Nichols attempted 61 passes and threw for 335 yards against Texas Tech. Star wideout Aaron Boyce (85 catches in 2007) and running threat Dale Morris (930 yards, 12 touchdowns) will try to help keep CU’s defense guessing.
